Egg carton



United States Patent [72] Inventors Eugene E. Macchi 63 Arbor Drive, Ho-Ho-Kus 07423, and

Henry B. Katz, 33 Westview Road, Short Hills, NJ; 07078 [21 Appl. No. 738,004 [22] Filed June 18, 1968 [45] Patented Dec. 29, 1970 [S4] EGG CARTON 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

[51] Int. Cl 865d 5/66 [50] Field of Search 229/25, 29M, 44, 45

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.815.162 12/1957 Grant 229/25 3,162,352 12/1964 Swaim 229/2.5X

3,163,345 12/1964 Schwertfeger..... 229/29 3,193,177 7/1965 Crabtree 229/44 3,346,171 10/ l 967 Baker 229/44 3,372,856 3/1968 Erhart et al. 229/29X 3,441,196 4/1969 Burkett 229/2;5X

Primary Examiner-Davis T. Moorhead Attorney-Howard P. King ABSTRACT: An egg carton comprising a tray and cover with upstanding front and back panels integral with the tray adapted to be resiliently pressed into bracing cushioning contact with the eggs when the cover is closed down thereover, said cover being of different and stiffer material than the tray and providing smooth surface easily slidable onto the front or lock panel of the tray, as well as providing an outer surface receptive of fine printing and lithographic color embellishment.

mmr-iumzsmm Y 3,550,836 SHEETlBFZ Q w l INVENTORS EUGENE E. MACCHI and HENRY B KA'TZ BY H PM ATTORNEY PATENTED BEC29 1970 SHEET 2 OF 2 4.} FIG. 5

I INVENTORS EUGENE E. MA cH! Md HBEHRY B. K TZ ATTORNEY EGG CARTON l-leretofore egg cartons have been made with integral tray and cover utilizing molded pressed pulp as the constituent material. Molded pulp is desirable for production of the tray,

especially evident when attempting to slide a cover against a tray panel of like material in operation of closing or opening a carton. Also such a surface is not receptive to lithographic decoration of multiple color or other artistic printing. The present invention contemplates an improved carton overcomingthe above-mentioned difficulties and possessing novel features about to be referred'to herebelow.

Objectively, the invention provides numerous purposes and advantages which may briefly be mentioned as including a cover hinged to a tray, with the cover having sloping flaps at front and back to automatically effect cushioned bracing for the upper portions of the eggs by closing the cover; to provide back and front panels, functionally designated hinge and lock panels respectively, projecting from the tray into the cover, and not only constituting hinge and lock panels respectively, but introducing added thickness and soft lining for the cover where bracing contact is made with the upper portions of the eggs, thereby permitting use of harder material for the cover; to develop a structure wherein, by virtue of the angularity of the cover flaps, movement to close the cover automatically locating the front flap of the cover over the upper edge of the upstanding front or lock panel of the tray will obtain the result that continued closing motion exerts inward pressure resilientlyagainst locking lugs on the tray locking panel and ultimately in direct facial contact against that'locking panel; to utilize a tray with front and rear lock and hinge panels which areintegral therewith and formed from molded pulp, thereby providing shock-resisting material in contact with the eggs, whereas the cover is composed of chipboard so as to provide greater strength than the molded pulp as well as greater rigidity and a smooth surface conducive to readily sliding on the more friction-prone molded pulp, and also providing a surface enabling fine printing and lithographic embellishment to be employed for production of an attractive package; to readily obtain relative unlocking movement jointly by the locking panel and overlying cover flap, but deterring inadvertent unlocking movement of the flap alone sufficing to attain an unlocked condition; provision of simple construction by which the carton, in manufacture, is readily adaptable for eggs graded to different sizes effected by appropriate location of crease lines in the cover; and utilization of other constructional and advantageous features as will appear in the more detail description hereinbelow.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan of the open carton;

FIG. 2 is anelevational view looking at what will be herein referred to as the front of the carton, the cover being shown as closed;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the carton with the cover wide open;

FIG. 4 is another end view of the carton with the cover in partially closed position; and

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the carton taken on line 5-5 of HO. 2; this time showing the cover fully closed and effecting egg support or bracing next to the upper ends of the eggs.

In general, the carton of the present disclosure comprises a two-part structure, namely, a tray and a cover 11 secured together to form an entity in use, the two parts being constituted from material each having different characteristics from the other. The tray 10 is beneficially composed of molded pulp which presents a degree of compressive softness and a surface irregularity or fuzziness conducive to absorption of shocks to which the eggs normally might otherwise be subjected detrimentally. The cover 11 is beneficially composed of a more rigid and muchstronger material, with a smooth sur-, face and inherently possessing an adequately desirable resiliency. Chipboard is suggested as'meeting these require ments.

Egg trays within the broad description given above are well known in the art, and it will be recognized that they are commonly constructed to present, as here shown, a plurality of egg pockets 12 open at an upper plane common to all and there interconnected by a planar top wall 13 the periphery whereof appears as a rim at the outside of the tray. The usual arrangement of'pockets is in two rows of six each, and between each group of four pockets upstanding posts 14 may be provided to limit depression of the cover thereat.

According to the present invention, the tray 10 is formed with front and back panels 15, 16 respectively which extend above said planar top wall 13 for substantially the entire length of the tray, terminating approximately opposite to the end pockets of each row to-whichthe said panel is proximate. The height of each said panel may appropriately approximate the height of the aforesaid posts 14. The lower edges of said panels are integral with the body of the tray and can conveniently be molded as an extension reverting inwardly and upwardly of the rim edge from said planar wall 13 at front and rear of the tray. As these panels 15, 16 in use of the carton, are sloped inwardly into bracing contact with the upper portionsof the eggs that protrude above the planar wall, the desirable cushioning characteristic of the molded pulp is thereby included thereat. While the juncture of the panels with their respective portions of the rim of the planar top wall form natural lines for hinging of said panels, the pulp material is initially molded with those panels standing perpendicular, more or less, to said planar wall, and therefore in use tend to assume that position under moderate impetus of resiliency which is possessed by the material at such hinging. When not impeded, therefore, said panels tend to swing outwardly away from the eggs.

Cover 11 has a length commensurate with the overall length of the tray, and has a width sufficient to enable it to extend over the eggs and posts 14 from the rear to front rim portions of the .planar wall 13. Said cover is provided with two longitudinal and parallel crease lines 17 from end to end thereof, which in essence divide the top in appearance as providing a long medial rectangular flat roof 18 from end to end of the cover, and as having longitudinal front and rear flaps 19, 20 respectively sloping downwardly from said crease lines. The spacing of the crease lines is determined at time of manufacture for covers to be applied to cartons intended for a specific size of egg. For small eggs, the crease lines are closer together than for large eggs, and in any event, desirably provide lines permitting appropriate inward flexing of the tray flaps toward the eggs as the cover is closed.

In course of manufacture of the carton, rear flap 20 is secured, as with adhesive, in flatwise overlying position on the hinged rear panel 16 of the carton; which thereby not only furnishes a soft lining for said cover flap, but mounts the cover in a relation by which it can draw the rear panel into cushioning engagement with the eggs next thereto in the act of swinging the cover to its closing position. Likewise, as the cover is closed, its front flap 19 engages over the top of front panel 15, as shown in FIG. 4, and upon being pressed down, slides in depressing engagement therewith, forcing said front panel to slope inwardly into cushioned bracing engagement with the eggs next thereto. The ease with which the closing may be effected is enhanced by the smoothness of the-flap material enabling it to readily glide over the surface of the frictionprone tray material.

It is particularly to be noted that the cover leaves end openings for the carton for the entire depth between said cover and said planar top wall 13 of the tray 10. This has one advantage of enabling a purchaser to see what kind of eggs, for

instance white or brown, are in the carton, without having to open the package. Of even greater benefit, ventilation is provided for the eggs, thereby overcoming the usual effusion of barn yard aroma when a closed egg package is eventually opened.

Locking means are provided for retaining the cover in its closed position until a user wishes to gain access to the interior of the carton. The means shown comprises a pair of lugs 21 integrally molded with and protruding outwardly from the front panel closely proximate to the upper edge of said panel and at a distance part lengthwise of the panel locating said lugs at positions intermediate of two pockets, so that any depressive flexure of the panel due to pressure against said lugs will occur between successively located eggs and not directly in full deflection against the eggs. As the curvature of the eggs results in maximum distance of contact spacing between eggs occurring next to the upper edge of the flap, ample space is provided in the vicinity of and behind each lug for whatever deflection in the panel material which may be required in use.

Front flap 19 of cover 11 is provided with a lug-receiving hasplike opening 22 for each lug. These openings 22 are directly contiguous to the front crease line 17 of the cover, and thus a considerable relative outward swing of the cover flap is required to release said flap from the locking engagement provided by the lugs 21. However, by a partial outward swing of said flap accompanied by a moderate depression of the lugs, will obtain adequate relative movement to release the lugs. Thus in practice, a person holding the carton resting in the palm of his hand, may very readily simply insert his thumb between the lower edge of the cover flap 19 and the carton front panel 15, thereby obtaining partial depression of the panel and partial outward swing of the cover flap, resulting in the necessary relative displacement of the lugs and flap for effecting the desired unlocking action. This relative displacement is considerably more than would be likely to occur inadvertently in outward swing of the flap only, especially with the lugs and the hasplike openings situated at the extreme upper portions of the panels and flaps. 1

By way of furnishing a double-locking action for the cover; the tray may be provided, next to each end thereof at its front, with an upstanding lip or detent 23 immediately beyond the ends of the front panel 15. The front end corners of the cover 11 may be inserted behind these detents 23 to maintain the front flap 19 in engagement with the front panel 15 and fully overcome the slight moment of force being exerted by the resiliency inherent in the tray panel not fully overcome by interlocking of the lugs with the cover. The effectiveness of this so-called double-lock is augmented by the relative rigidity of the chipboard utilized as the cover material, and it is likewise that characteristic of the cover material which insures security of the locking by lugs 21 engaging therein.

We claim:

1. An egg carton comprising a two-part unified construction constituted by a tray having a plurality of egg-receiving pockets of less depth than eggs to be located therein whereby said eggs will protrude above the top of said tray. said tray having back and front and end edges at the top thereof, a cover for said tray having hinge mounting at said back edge of the tray and adapted to have its front edge brought into engagement with the said front edge of said tray when the cover is swung into its closing position over said tray and with the ends of said cover for the most part above and out of contact from the end edges of said tray thereby providing open ends for the carton between the tray and cover, and detents projecting upwardly at the front of said front edges of the tray proximate to said end edges and projecting in front of end margins of said cover when the cover is closed into engagement with said front edge of the tray and maintaining the cover from slipping forwardly off ofsaid front edge ofthe tray. 

